The enterprise application store? Really?
Citrix calls Dazzle, it’s self-service “iTunes”-style appstore for your published applications, an “enterprise application store” .
Is that accurate though?
In reality, it’s PNAgent (or the XenApp Online Plug-in for those new to all this) with some flash animation and freedom as to what you add to your start menu.
Lets look at what Dazzle currently does, or doesn’t do:
- There is no single-sign on. You are prompted to re-enter your desktop credentials when you launch it. A real pain.
- It only gives you what you already have access to via your AD group memberships.
- It only provides access to XenApp/XenDesktop hosted applications or desktops. It doesn’t integrate with other distribution mechanisms (e.g. SCCM) to allow on-demand deployments of other applications (not all apps can be streamed after all)
- If you want something new, you’ve still got to make a call to the help desk, who then initiate whatever approval workflow is in place (outside of Dazzle)
At Synergy earlier this year, Citrix announced that the next version of Dazzle with have more workflow capabilities.
Dazzle v.next – the story so far
What have Citrix told us so far?
- Some kind of integration with Workflow Studio (is this just going to be adding/removing users to AD groups?). Hmm..does anyone actually use Workflow Studio?
- Managerial approval for application access requests
- Mac support
- Application searching
- FAQ support (hooking into your help desk knowledge base of application problems so users can find the answer themselves before calling?)
What should Dazzle offer?
Here is my “Dazzling” shopping list:
- Allow an administrator to define a list of available applications
- Define how a user gains access to them (all the time, by instant approval, by managerial approval)
- Provide reports on who has access to what, and who uses what (some kind of Edgesight integration for reporting?)
- Provide approval mechanisms via email and web
- Single sign-on
- Integrate with SCCM for on-demand deployment of MSIs and access to locally-installed applications in the same manner
What would you like to see in the next release of Dazzle? Comment away…
After using WordPress for the SynergyBerlin.com site, I decided I like it so much I’d change my other sites over to it.
Also, as I’ve now almost completed my Citrix Integration Architect series of exams, a name change was in order.
The site layout and navigation is still very much work in progress, but I’ve migrated some recent content in from the old Drupal-based blog so it didn’t look bare!
Now I just to get back to writing some decent informative updates again!
I’ve been working on a new community blog site called synergyberlin.com
It’s aimed at the independant consultant travelling to Synergy and PubForum conferences in October this year (although theres no reason why anyone can’t make use of the tips posted)
The site has hotel listings, travel advice and ways to attend the conferences for the least amount of £££s.
Additional content will be added right upto the events in October, and I hope the community will also contribute their collective knowledge.
Do check it out.
The Citrix XenApp 6 1Y1-A18 CCA exam is now open for free Beta testing on the Peason Vue website.
Great opportunity to gain your next CCA qualification for no cost!
Citrix no longer offer Edgesight for Endpoints in the Platinum Edition of XenDesktop 4. This was included in XenDesktop 3 platinum edition, so why take it out?
Microsoft have a whopping 80% discount of a 200-hours package of Windows 7 and Windows 2008 server e-learning courses until end of May.
See http://www.it-voucher.eu/
The training voucher is Euro399 instead of the usual Euro 1,990 and is valid for 12 months.
From what I’ve gathered from the web, and speaking to contacts at Citrix, the XenApp 5 Feature Pack 3 new features applies to 2008R1 server only.
If you look at the feature list, this explains why the features listed are the same as Feature Pack 2 on 2003, which brings the two products (XenApp 5 on 2008R1 and XenApp 5 on 2003) into line.
Still, it’s a shame that none of the new XA6 features will be available to 2003 server users, as I suspect that’s what the majority of XenApp users are running. I was at least hoping for the improved audio codecs!
The next HRP for XenApp5 (HRP06) is currently in beta, but this contains no new features, and a bucket load of stability fixes.
This leaves the the following changes for XA5 on 2003:
- New Streaming client that supports services
- New User Profile Manager
I’ve post later on whether the Seamless Taskbar Grouping in the v12 XenApp plugin works against a XA5 server.
Citrix have released the beta exam for A15 which counts towards the new CCEE certification.
CCIA beta exam will be released later in March.
More details and registration link on this page:
Microsoft (and I guess Citrix) have just announced that from July 1st, SA customers will be able to use VECD at no additional cost (and about time too!)
